STRONG AND STRONGER

"IGOTITTOO" GET$ THE BIG BUCK$!

Congratulations to "IGOTITTOO Digital Technologies" and all the residents who have supported the program since it's arrival at Lafayette Gardens. To date more than 100 residents and community members have benefited from the classes, repair services and social services Clare, Santana, Arron, Illya and Zenobia have unconditionally provided.

I am very excited to congratulate IGOTITTOO Digital Technologies and Clare Chiesa for their monumental feat. On Tuesday they were awarded a grant of $250,000.00 from Google for the dynamic work they have done over the course of the past few years in low income and needy neighborhoods of which Lafayette Gardens was the pilot and the flagship Brooklyn location until recently when they were abruptly informed by Brooklyn Community Operations to cease and discontinue the very popular classes and services, much to the dismay and objection of residents and community members.

We thank Clare and her team for the countless hours and personal financial donations they volunteered to the children, adults and seniors of Lafayette Gardens who learned to use, set up and in some cases repair computers. Every three months IGOTITTOO volunteers fixed residents and community members computers free of charge and paid for Internet service in the community center.

Thank you to Harry Polite for having the vision to begin the relationship with IGOTITTOO three years ago; also Google representatives who were very enthusiastic and moved by the testimonials, make-shift computer labs and positive response of Lafayette Gardens Residents that Clare and her team were able to achieve.

Personally I hope Brooklyn Community Operations realizes the value of the services, commitment and potential that was lost when they decided to put IGOTITTOO out of the 3 community centers. If Google sees enough potential and value to invest this much money indirectly benefiting Lafayette Gardens, Atlantic Terminal, Saratoga Houses and ultimately NYCHA at large, one has to question the intent and commitment NYCHA really has to it's residents.

Citing budget and resource cuts, quality programming in NYCHA's Brooklyn Community Operations continues to be suddenly and abruptly discontinued. This program was not costing NYCHA anything, the resident response was very high and the positive visibility in the community were all factors for a win-win situation. While IGOTITTOO continues to work with residents and the resident associations on a much smaller scale, we are not able to reach the numbers the spaces in our community centers provided.

Due to legal reasons they were not able to directly mention our association, the developments involved or NYCHA. "I" can personally say the efforts and partnerships of our borough administrators, the Resident Associations of Lafayette Gardens, Atlantic Terminal and Saratoga Houses found the services to be greatly beneficial and we miss their important work. Other resident leaders are hesitant or cautious not to question injustices but this might explain how we are always loosing programs -such as senior meals, community centers and teen activities- as more and more is taken away from us. If these types of money and resources don't come to help our communities, where will we be?